Smut-machiite



R; THOMPSON.

Smut Mill.

Patented Dec. 1 1860.

IV/TIVES 556 u. PETERS. Plldlo-Lmuognpiwr. Wnnhingtan. n40

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT THOMPSON, OF EAST DAVENPORT, IOWA.

SHUT-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,994, dated December 18, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT THOMPSON, of East Davenport, in the county ofScott and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Smut andGrain-Cleaning Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichFigure 1, is a vertical longitudinal section of my invention, the planeof section being indicated by the line a m, Fig. 1. Fig. 2, a horizontalsection of the scourer, taken in the plane indicated by y, y, Fig. 1.Fig. 3, a horizontal section of the whole machine Fig. 1, indicating theplane of section.

i S imilar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

The object of this invention is to effect a more thorough separationthan usual by screening, of the large foreign impurities in the grainand also to more thoroughly separate, oats from wheat, the latter grainfrequently containing much of the former to the great detriment of theflour manufactured from it.

The invention also has for its object a more thorough separation thanusual by a blast, of the light foreign impurities which the grain maycontain and also a more thorough cleansing by scouring of smut and otherimpurities which may adhere to the grain and require to be detached andbroken or pulverized.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a rectangular frame which may be constructed in any properway to support the several parts of the machine.

B, is an inverted U-shaped trunk, which is placed in the frame A, andforms the blast. spout of the machine.

In the upper part of the frame A, there is suspended by chains a, a shoeC. This shoe is of rectangular form and is suspended by a chain a, fromeach corner, the chains being attached to shafts b, in the upper part ofthe frame A. The shoe C, is provided with three screens 0, d, e, theupper one 0, cl, being coarse enough to allow wheat to pass through, butthe lower one 6, is fine enough to prevent the wheat from passingthrough, but allowing small seeds to escape. The upper screens 0, d,have each a discharge spout f, at their lower or depressed ends, saidspouts projecting from the sides of the shoe. The lower-most screen 6,is provided with a discharge spout g, which projects over the orifice ofa grain-passage D, which extends across the blast spout B, and conductsthe grain from the screen 6, into the scouring device E hereinafterdescribed. The bottom of the grain-passage D, where it passes throughthe spout B has a wire cloth bottom h, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. Thegrain passage D, does not extend across the whole width of the spout B,only about half way a partition 2' dividing this portion of the screeninto two parts j, 7c, and extending up to the grain passage D.

The shoe 0, has a cross bar Z, extending across its upper part and intothis cross bar the lever end of a crank m, is fitted, said crank beingat the lower end of a vertical shaft F, in the upper part of theframing. See more particularly Fig. 1.

Directly below the shoe C, there is placed a hopper G, which catches thesmall seeds that pass through the screen 6, the seeds by means of aspout a, being conveyed to any proper receptacle or to the interior ofthe case H, of the scourer.

The upper part of the trunk B, is provided with a chamber or hopper I,as shown clearly in Fig. 1. This chamber or hopper has a double inclinedbottom 0, 0, so that its contents will naturally settle toward a flap p,at their lower ends as shown clearly in Fig. 1. Just below the flap 7),there is an incline spout J.

The lower part of one side of the spout B, communicates with a fan boxK, and just below the fan box at the lower end of the spout there aredoors 9.

The scouring device E,is formed ofa cylinder composed of a series ofsegment plates 1', having their edges fitted in grooves in vertical rods8, the upper and lower ends of which pass through plates 25, t, and havenuts 14, on them the plates t, forming the top and bottom of thecylinder and having circular openings at their centers covered by wirecloth 7). The cylinder formed by the segment plates 1', is encompassedby the case H, which communicates at one side with the spout B, as shownclearly in Fig. 1.

The segment plates 7', of the scouring device, are slotted vertically,and through the center of the cylinder, fan box, and also through theupper part of the spout B, a

vertical shaft L, passes. To this shaft L, l the fan M, in the box K, isattached. This fan may be constructed in the usual way and thereforedoes not require a minute description. To the shaft L, and within thecylinder formed of the plates 1", there are attached horizontal arms a,to the ends of which oblique beaters or wings a, are attached.

The cylinder of the scouring device is divided into two compartments bya horizontal plate 6, and the two compartments are made to communicatewith each other by an opening 0. There is a set of beaters or wings a,in each compartment as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

From the lower compartment of the scouring device an inclined spout cl,projects and this spout leads into the lower part of one side of thespout B, and within the spout B, at a point a little-below the junctionof the spout d, with it there is placed an inclined plate 6, the objectof which will be presently stated.

The operation is as follows: The shaft L, is rotated by any convenientpower and from this shaft, motion is communicated to the shaft F, and acurvilinear shake motion given to the shoe C, by the crank m. Thispeculiar motion of the shoe C, is favorable to the separating of cats,sticks and the like from the grain which is fed on the screen a, thesticks and oats not being liable to be shaken through screens 0, d, asis the case with the ordinary shake motions on account of the suddenjars and concussions which attend them. The oats, sticks, and otherforeign substances too large to pass through the screens 0, 03, passinto the spouts f, and are discharged from the machine, while the grainwhich cannot pass through the screen 6, will be discharged into thegrain passage D and in passing over the wire screen it is subjected to ablast generated by the rotation of the fan M, said blast being regulatedby a slide 12/, and the loose light foreign substances drawn up thespout B, those which are too heavy to be carried entirely around fallinto the chamber or hopper I, and gradually drop into the spout J, by

which they are discharged from the machine. The lighter impurities aredrawn down the opposite side of the spout B, and into the fan box K,from which they are expelled by the action of the fan. By opening thedoors 9, all substances too heavy to be drawn into the fan box areallowedto escape. The grain passes through the passage D into thescourer E, and within the cy inder formed by the plates 1', and theresubjected to a scouring action from the beaters or wings a, all smutbeing detached from the grain and broken. The revolution of the beatersor wings a, generate a blast within the cylinder and the smut is blownthrough the perforated segment plates 7*, into the space inclosed by thecase H, and from thence it is drawn through the lower part of B, intothe fan box K, and expelled therefrom. The grain passes from the uppercompartment of the scouring device into the lower compartment throughthe opening 0. This arrangement insures a perfect action of the beatersor wings a, on the whole mass of grain. The grain passes from the lowercompartment of the scourer down the spout d, into the lower part ofspout B, and is there subjected to a second blast from fan M, and ismade to strike against an incline plate 6, which scatters the grain sothat the blast in passing through it acts in the most efiicient manner.

The strength of the blast in the case H, may be regulated at any time bymeans of a slide a fitted in its side.

I do not claim the inverted U-shaped spout B, nor any of the other partsherein described when separately considered, but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- Thearrangement of the divided scouring chamber, beaters a, shaft L, fan M,case H, and spout d, with the spout B, chamber I, treble screened shoeC, grain passage D, hopper G and spout n, all as herein shown anddescribed.

ROBT. THOMPSON. WVitnesses:

THOMAS WHITSON, JOHN B. Row.

